Seattle West Coast Swing [Shaggers, aka swaggers]
put our newly found shag workshop skills to the test on the dance floor of the Grand Nationals in Atlanta, Georgia
on May 22 to 25th, 1997. With shaggers from all over the South attending this event, were we nervous? You bet.....could
we cut the mustard with our pivots?....did that rock step look suspiciously anchored?...and would those shoulders
and hips start to twitch?

Many of us had seen Carolina shag only on videotapes
and were unprepared for the mesmerizing effect of the dance, the lightening quick weight changes, the languid turns,
and the unexpected knee drops. Southerners grew up with the shag and revere the older Hall of Famers and the Queen
of Shag, 82 yr. old Clarice Reavis. In his book entitled "Shag -- The Legendary Dance of the South,"
Bo Bryan recounts the early history of the dance and the story of its revival after Hurricane Hazel wiped out the
Carolina beach front dance floors. The Society of Stranders (SOS) now hosts twice yearly events that draw 10,000
dancers. Although shag is popular with the over 40 crowd, Junior shaggers have their own classes, clubs, and competitions.

But back on the dance floor, the big question was,
with the crowd almost evenly divided between Swingers and Shaggers, could one partner do the shag "basic"
while the other did the WCS (West Coast Swing) "pushbreak" (both being 6 counts in a slot)? As it turned
out, the smart money was on ALTERNATING shag and swing. This combination performed in competition left the crowd
roaring for more!!! Winning couples seemed to be composed of a WCS woman following with a Shag man leading. Although
most couples played back and forth between the two styles of dance, some of the men certainly looked like they
were shagging their way through some WCS patterns.....Pregnant Kellese Douglas went spinning down the slot (centering
for two?) to her partner/husband renowned shagger Brent Key. In fact, the Grand Nationals hosted their wedding
on Sunday night. Not a dry eye in the house as the first "celebrity" wedding united a shagger and a WCS
dancer. The baby will certainly be the first true "swag" dancer.

One Seattle dancer had quite an educational experience
with a shagger when she asked about the position of the free hand while shagging. In response, the shagger handed
the surprised woman a glass of water and told her to hold the glass at her hip without spilling the water. He then
removed the glass from her hand and walked away. Grinning over his shoulder, he said "Just keep your hand
like that whenever you're shaggin." Another fun incident occurred after a famous WCS instructor taught a shag
"throw-out" using WCS footwork and timing. The result was an interesting 4-count crossing syncopation.
When demonstrated to a shag lead, he immediately MIRRORED the footwork (shades of East Coast Swing, Batman......).
The result was a mutual throw-out with both partners going to the ends of the slot. Intergalactic swing?